Patent GB-392622-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to adding and/or listing machines
IPC: A47L13/08
Filed: 1931-11-25
Abstract: 392,622. Statistical apparatus. BRITISH TABULATING MACHINE CO., Ltd., Victoria House, Vernon Place, Southampton Row, London. Nov. 25, 1931, No. 32677. Convention' date, Nov. 26, 1930. [Class 106 (i).] Total-taking ; adding and subtracting ; combined with typewriters; statistical sheets.-An adding and/or listing machine of the kind having a travelling carriage 14 carrying totalizers (and/or a platen 15), the carriage being movable to position any totalizer (or portion of the platen) opposite to entering mechanism (or printing mechanism), is also provided with a record-reading device (brushes 118) to control the entering mechanism (or printing mechanism), power-driving means (58, 100, 101, 96) for moving the carriage, and a device controlled by the record 29 for coupling the carriage to the driving means and for uncoupling it when it reaches a position selectively determined by the record. The invention is applied to an adding typewriter having the usual alphabet keys 12, numeral keys 13 and a carriage moved one step whenever a key 12, 13 is depressed. This carriage 14 carries a platen 15 for the work sheet upon which the data may be printed, and is connected to a truck 16 for the totalizers 17 of known construction. A truck 18 for the cross-totalizers 19 (cash) and 20 (charge) is coupled so as to move with truck 16. A master wheel (the entering means above) enters the amount digit by digit in a selected totalizer 17 (A ... J ), commencing with the highest denomination. Two other master wheels enter into the totalizers 19, 20. The mechanism which controls the amount entered into the totalizers 17 is in the vertical actuator casing 21 ; the cross-actuator 22 functions similarly for totalizers 19, 20. Actuators 21, 22 are coupled mechanically and are controlled by keys 13. The master wheel is controlled for addition, disconnection, and subtraction by three levers 23, 24, 25 each normally having three positions. 28 is an error-correction key, which reverses the effect of levers 23, 24, 25 on the totalizers. The perforated control sheet 29, Fig. 9, is divided up into fields by unperforated columns 30, 31. Holes 33 (charge), 34 (spacing of the carriage), 36 (amounts) are perforated along the thick line positions 12, 11, 0 .. 9. These holes are read by upper brushes 118, Figs. 2 and 8, coacting with a block 119. In between these positions are hole positions A .. J (e.g. hole 32 representing clerk " C "- counter " C ") which are read by brushes 61 underneath the sheet. Brushes 61 control the positioning of carriage 14 and brushes 118 enter the amounts by energizing solenoids 120, Figs. 1 and 8, attached to the numeral keys 13. Solenoid 121 controls the spacing bar for the carriage and solenoid 122, 123 the totalizers 19, 20 respectively. For moving the carriage 14 left or right it has arms 63, Fig. 1, carrying a bar 62 which meshes with a gear 93, rigid on a shaft 94, Fig. 4. Also rigid on this shaft is a gear 102 driving a member 103 having three contacts 104, 105, 106, Fig. 8, separated by insulation 104<1>. Contact 104 is extended on each side by parts 107. Contact blades 108, 109, 110 resting in these contacts are moved as shown to switch 112 and magnets 100, 101. These magnets 100, 101 control the drive of shaft 94 for the carriage. This shaft has a gear 95 which may mesh with either of gears 97 on a member 96 splined to a shaft 56 constantly rotated by a motor 58 When magnet 100 (or 101) is energized the lever 98 is shifted to engage one of the wheels 97 with wheel 95 to drive the carriage to the left (or right respectively), Fig. 1. If a perforation 32 (e.g. clerk hole " C ") is read, a circuit 61 (C), 106, 110, 101, 113, 114 is made to shift the carriage to the right. At the moment the totalizer C (highest denomination) comes opposite the master wheel of the entering mechanism, contact 104 (which has been shifted with the carriage by member 103) comes opposite brush 61 (C) and breaks the circuit between brush 61 and contact 106, de-energizing magnet 101 so that the clutch 95, 97 is restored to the neutral position shown in Fig. 4. For a hole, say G, magnet 100 would be similarly energized to move the carriage to the left. The sheet 29 is fed from right to left, Figs. 2 and 9, by holes 39 along its edges and a sprocket wheel 37 which is driven through a one-revolution clutch controlled by magnet 60, Fig. 8. The shaft 43 of this clutch, which shaft is thus driven one revolution, has a wheel 42 with teeth 91 driving a shaft 81 through wheel 90, Fig. 5. The bar 62, Figs. 1 and 5, of the carriage 14 may be locked to the escapement rack 64 by a pawl 74, 72 pivoted to the rack 64 which is allowed to move one space to the left by the pinion 67 coacting with mechanism of known construction, whenever a shaft 69 is vibrated by depression of a key 12, 13 on the spacing bar 35. A roller 76 rests on a plate 77 which is wide enough from left to right, Fig. 5, for roller 76 always to remain on the plate during a number of movements of rack 64 corresponding to the number of columns in a field of the sheet 29. When a brush 61 (C) reads a hole, as above described, the totalizer carriage and contacts 104 .. 107 move until the brush 61 (C) moves off contact 106 to stop the carriage drive. At the same moment contacts 61 (C) and 104 energize, through line 111 and switch 112, Fig. 8, a magnet 83 which attracts its armature 82, Fig. 5, and releases plate 77, 78 which is raised by a spring so that the part 74 retains the carriage and its bar 62 in the new position with the correct totalizer at the master wheel. Simultaneously with magnet 83, Fig. 8, the magnet 60 is energized to actuate the sheet feeding clutch. This causes the brushes 118 to read the amount columns 36 in succession. When shaft 81 is rotated, Fig. 5, towards the end of the revolution of the cam-feed clutch a crank 136 reciprocates a link 134 to actuate feeding means from the work sheet on the platen 15 ; a gear 80 draws down plate 77, 78 to latching position and a crank 87 pulls a wire 88 to move the rack 64 to its extreme right-hand (initial) position against spring drum 68. When a " change " hole " 12 " is read, Figs. 8 and 9, magnets 122, 123 are energized. Magnet 122 closes contact 122a to give a holding circuit and magnet 123 controls the adjustment of levers 24, 25 of totalizers 19, 20, Fig. 1, to " non- adding " and " adding " respectively. If it is desired, after the sheet 29 has been fully read, to clear the totalizers, print the totals, and determine the total sales (i.e. adds the totals on counters 19, 20 together) this may be done by moving switch 112, Fig. 8, to its dotted line position, closing keys T, R to energize the latch-release magnet 83, Fig. 5, and sheet-feed clutch magnet 60, closing key CHG, and using the keys in the attachment 137, Fig. 1. A grand totalizer GT, Fig. 1, is used in these operations. When the total on the " cash " totalizer 19 is entered on keys 13, this totalizer is cleared and the amount added to the grand totalizer. Key R then restores plate 77. The counter 20 is similarly cleared and the amount added to the grand totalizer by use of keys 13, Fig. 1, and CHG, Fig. 8. The latter energizes magnet 123 to disconnect counter 19 and connect counter 20. The grand totalizer, now bearing the total sales, is next cleared and the total added to counter 19. The counters 17 are then cleared in turn and as they are cleared their totals are subtracted from counter 19. Thus finally, after clearing and printing from all counters 17, the counter 19 should stand at zero. U.S.A. Specification 1,349,024 is referred to.